Do fasting days help lose weight and how does it work?

Fasting days - an effective way to lose weight

Fasting will not help you lose 10-15 kg per month before summer. They are more suitable for those who need to stay in shape without making a special effort or get back "in line" after the winter. Reading days for weight loss do not give such impressive results as we would like, but if you do them regularly and then do not overeat, the effect will definitely please.

What are fasting days for?

It seems that what can happen after a day of fasting, but this is only at first glance. The benefits of fasting days have long been proven, tested and double-checked. And it consists of the following:

  • After a short hunger strike, a feeling of lightness occurs due to bowel cleansing;
  • Stress brings the body into tone;
  • It helps to overcome the "plateau effect" that many know about the pain. In other words, it is stagnation during the diet. The weight drops to a certain point, then stops without wanting to budge. A hunger strike can serve as a mild stress for the body and a kind of catalyst for fat burning processes.
  • And of course one cannot fail to mention the "test of strength" and the development of willpower.

Types and functions when reading food

Reading days are conditionally divided into two types:

  • "hungry"
  • "full".

These two options are distinguished by the calorie content of the daily menu and the number of ingredients allowed for use.

The essence and principles of "hungry" days

The simplest and most rigorous option is a day on the water. Reading, in which proteins, fats and easily digestible carbohydrates are excluded, is also called "cleansing". In other cases, in addition to liquid, a product is included in the diet. The maximum daily calorie intake is 500 calories. Given that you can eat low-fat kefir, cucumbers, apples, cabbage or citrus fruits, generally low-calorie foods, it will be easy not to exceed the permissible bar. For example, the calorie content of 100 grams of an ordinary cucumber is 15. 5 calories. With these restrictions, you can eat 3. 2 kg of fresh green cucumbers per day.

Important!No matter what type of food you eat, drink 2 or more liters of water. Plain non-carbonated water will be supplemented with green tea or a decoction of herbs.

"Full" reading: types and rules

A more benign option. They allow 2-3 products that can be combined: meat, vegetables, eggs, legumes, fruits, dairy products. The calorie mode changes a little, you cannot exceed the limit of 800 calories. Depending on the type of products used, "full" fasting days for weight loss are protein and carbohydrate.

  • Protein loading is the best option if more restrictive diets cause weakness, dizziness or are not suitable for health reasons. You can eat: lean meat; shellfish, crustaceans and fish; vegetable proteins. If desired, the menu can be varied with low-calorie vegetables. Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, greens are successfully combined with proteins. According to the cooking method, it is better to prefer cooking or steaming. During the day there is no strong feeling of hunger.
  • Carbohydrate reading – sounds tempting, but has nothing to do with sweets. In this case, we are talking about foods rich in slow carbohydrates. Usually it is buckwheat, rice, dried fruits.

When putting together the menu for a "full" fasting day, it is important to consider the compatibility of products.

Product group name Meat, fish, poultry legumes Vegetable oil cereal Angry semi sweet Sweet and dried fruits Vegetables Dairy products Egg
Fruit
Meat, fish, poultry / - - - - - - + - -
legumes - / + 0 - - - + - -
Vegetable oil - + / + + 0 0 + - -
cereal 0 - + / - - - + - -
Angry - - + - / + 0 + 0 -
Fruit semi sweet - - 0 - + / + + + -
Sweet and dried fruits - - 0 - 0 + / + + -
Vegetables + + + + + + + / + +
Dairy products - - - - 0 + + + / -
Egg - - - - - - - + - /

Advantages and contraindications

Fasting days will help in the unequal battle with excess weight. They will help get rid of heaviness after busy holidays, contributing to a gentle cleansing of the intestines from toxins. Indicated for certain diseases. So, for example, in case of kidney diseases, it is recommended to use "watermelon" days, heart and blood vessels - "potato", and for joint problems - "cucumber". Only without initiative, after consultation with a doctor. Without fail, reading should be done by those who constantly follow various fitness diets, are fond of protein foods, artificial proteins and other "heavy foods".

It is impossible to read patients with diabetes mellitus, pregnant and lactating women. People who are exhausted from long-term illness and suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (only "full" discharges are shown after consultation with a gastroenterologist). It is undesirable to arrange a reading during menstruation.

Advice!You should not get carried away with "hungry" readings, they are performed no more than once a week, while "full" can be done 2-3 times.

5 reading rules

In order for fasting days to bring the expected result, five simple rules must be followed.

Rule 1: Comply with the conditions

Most fasting days are built on the principle of a mono-diet, that is, you can eat one product, but you need to do this as often as possible. Naturally in small portions. In addition, the chosen product should be liked, this will help relieve the already stressful situation for the body. The total energy value of products should not exceed 800 cal.

Rule 2: choosing the optimal product

Usually, reading is carried out on low-calorie foods with a minimum content of fat and carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, kefir). For a carbohydrate diet, you can stop at a type of grain with a low glycemic index (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal). Low-fat meat and lean fish are allowed in the protein reading. The most effective are "liquid" fasting days, when the teeth rest, but you can only drink.

Rule 3: the right day

Many do not pay attention to this moment, but choosing a day is no less important. Nutritionists advise not to keep your legal days off, but to choose Monday. This option is not suitable if the work involves physical labor. Reading is best arranged weekly on the same day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner on a fasting day

Rule 4: rest

On the day of the reading, not only the digestive tract must rest, but the whole organism as a whole. It is important to exclude any physical activity, especially exercise. Alcohol is excluded perday. And for those who have poor tolerance to alcohol, in 2 or even 3 days. On the list of recommended activities: a visit to the bath or sauna. Sauna procedures calm the body, help cope with stress, improve lung ventilation and promote the elimination of toxins. Also shown are relaxed walks in the park.

Plenty of time to sleep. Ideally: at least 9 hours. Don't miss the opportunity to relax instead of lunch. Prolonged sleep will strengthen the body, and it will also help transfer the feeling of hunger more easily.

Rule 5: no contrasts

It is very important to enter the fasting day smoothly, calmly survive it and also smoothly leave it.

Smooth entry and exit: why is it important?

Any diet, even a one-day one, is a strong stress for the body. At one point, without explaining the reason, they suddenly stopped feeding him. When will it end, or will it end at all? Just as suddenly, he finally gets a portion of high-calorie food, and assimilates it to the maximum. Therefore, the lost weight returns quickly after long diets.

How to start a fasting day

Correct preparation of the body will help to get the maximum effect of reading. In the evening at lunch, they refuse heavy food. Dinner is replaced with a light salad, fruit, kefir. Before going to bed, it is recommended to do a cleansing enema. You can drink herbal tea, which has a laxative effect, but without fanaticism.

How to complete the reading without any problems

The next morning, of course, you shouldn't start with fried potatoes. It is better to drink 200 ml of water on an empty stomach and eat some stewed vegetables or a spoonful of rice, and then refrain from eating for 2-3 hours. Cereals, vegetables and fruits will help the body to switch to stable work. It is better to give up meat, legumes, eggs or fish. Due to the production of cortisol (stress hormone), the appetite increases and the food is absorbed to the maximum.

The most efficient way to unload

The effectiveness of a particular diet is a relative term. Each organism is individual, reacts differently to stress, perceives and assimilates products. Therefore, the best option for yourself can only be chosen empirically. Judging by the reviews of "users" as well as listening to the opinion of nutritionists, the most remarkable results can be achieved by adhering to the diets described below. You can stop at one type of reading or switch between different ones. So we present to you the most effective fasting days for weight loss.

Reading day on the water

The most difficult and effective ones are called "fluent" readings, if only they are done correctly. Many begin to "unload" the day after the party or immediately after the holiday, but nutritionists recommend at least one day before the day "X" to exclude lactic acid, meat, flour dishes and switch to light food. Everything is naturally fatty, fried, salted and smoked. It is better to prepare water in advance. It can be non-carbonated mineral or plain purified but not boiled.

Really effective fasting days for weight loss are as "strict" as possible. Remove food completely. It is necessary to drink every hour, so that at least 3 liters are obtained per day. Due to the fact that the stomach is constantly filled with liquid, there should not be a very bright feeling of hunger. The strictest version of reading says that on this day you can not drink tea, coffee or juice, only water.

Advice!It is very difficult, but you have to keep a positive attitude and stick to the end. Of course, listening to well-being. If weakness, dizziness or other adverse symptoms occur, the trial should be terminated.

You have to be very careful when you get out of the water. On the morning after the fast, they drink a glass of water and eat some steamed or stewed vegetables. The whole next day you can only eat grains, vegetables and fruits.

The girl observes strict reading on the water

Unloading day on cucumbers

The vegetable, which is 95% water, is adored by nutritionists, and the cucumber fasting day for weight loss is so popular that it does not need advertising. Cucumbers are a product with a negative calorie content (the body spends more on their digestion than it receives), and it is much easier to get enough of them (albeit for a short time) than water.

Those who have not yet come face-to-face with the cucumber diet should know that this vegetable is a powerful diuretic.

So during the day it is better to be close to the toilet. An active social life must be postponed, weakness may occur after dinner, especially in the legs. Some have increased bowel movements. One-day reading of cucumber is indicated for uric acid diathesis, obesity, hypertension, arthritis, arthrosis and atherosclerosis.

For "green" reading, you need 1. 5-2 kg of fresh cucumbers. This amount is divided into 5-6 doses. Drinks without restrictions. For a change, you can prepare a salad of cucumbers with herbs, which are allowed to fill with a spoonful of vegetable oil. Salt is of course not allowed. Cucumbers remove excess water and this will interfere with this process, but you can add lemon juice to the salad. At lunchtime, it is permitted to supplement the diet with a boiled egg. It's just too bad it won't save you from starvation.

Cucumbers - a low-calorie vegetable for unloading

Kefir unloading day

Kefir can compete with cucumbers in popularity. Much has been written about the beneficial properties of the product, the main thing is that it is available all year round, helps to normalize the pressure, is effective in the prevention of atherosclerosis and, of course, normalizes the digestive tract.

The mono-diet on fat-free kefir will be the most effective. The unloading mode is extremely simple: every 2-3 hours you need to drink 1-2 glasses of kefir. In the middle of the day, the product is getting tired of the order. For taste, you can crumble dill or parsley in it, and for a change, do not drink, but eat with a spoon. If you want to eat between meals (you definitely will), you can drink a glass of water. And if the feeling of hunger is very strong, a tablespoon of wheat bran, an unsweetened vegetable or fruit will help kill it.

There are many options for reading kefir. Kefir is often combined with vegetables, lean meat or honey. "Full" unloading days for weight loss on kefir are perfect for people with weak willpower and those dictated by certain health conditions.

One of the most popular is reading on kefir

Apple reading day

An apple is a slowly digestible fruit with a low calorie content. It contains 85% water, and the remaining 15% is a valuable store of vitamins and minerals, it is not for nothing that it is called "rejuvenating". Apples are affordable and healthy, they increase immunity, contain antioxidants, regulate intestinal microflora and promote fat burning. A one-day apple diet is also called a fasting day to lose weight in the abdomen. But every medal has two sides. Apples can swell, and a strict apple diet is absolutely contraindicated in diseases of the digestive tract (gastritis, ulcers, hyperacidity, biliary dyskinesia). In these cases, the use of baked apples is allowed.

Let's start by describing the simplest version of apple emptying, which will require a few kilos of apples.

The procedure is as follows: 2 kg of green, unsweetened apples are divided into 5-6 doses or eaten one at a time approximately every hour.

You can eat fruit fresh or baked, as well as combine. It is better to use sour apples, but they can increase appetite.

If it's hard to keep up with apples alone, you can try malolactic reading. It is allowed to eat 1. 5 kg of apples and 500 g of fat-free cottage cheese per day or drink 1. 5 liters of kefir.

Excellent shape thanks to a fasting day on apples

Unloading day on buckwheat

You probably don't need to say again that buckwheat is incredibly healthy, contains trace elements, vitamins and amino acids. In this case, it is more important that the cereal is rich in dietary fiber, which improves digestion, helps restore normal function and cleans the intestines. Like many other cereals, buckwheat belongs to foods with a low glycemic index and therefore suppresses the feeling of hunger for a long time.

It is better to prepare for unloading buckwheat the day before. A cup of grain (about 250 g) is poured into a small pot, poured with boiling water (0. 5 liters), covered with a lid and left overnight. Of course without salt, but you can add greens as spices. In the morning, the porridge is divided into 4-5 portions. By the way, it is better to use green buckwheat, not toasted brown. In it, according to experts, all the nutrients are preserved. If the feeling of hunger has worsened, it is permissible to have a snack with a green apple, but it is better to drink water.

Healthy buckwheat, ideal for a fasting day

Reading day on rice

One of the most effective is the rice fasting day. It is good because it has practically no contraindications. The main problem is the likelihood of constipation. Therefore, it is better not to unload on rice for those who suffer from hemorrhoids or irregular stools. After eating, it is advisable to drink tea with a laxative effect and start the next morning with kefir and fresh vegetables. In the intestines, the grains act as a sorbent, they absorb water and toxins, which are then removed from the body.

To prepare the right rice porridge, take 350-400 grams of low-calorie brown rice and 0. 5 liters of water. Before that, the grain must be soaked in water for several hours. The grains are boiled until they are half cooked. All porridge (up to 1 kg) is distributed in portions. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, you can water, green tea, herbal decoction.

Reading day on rice has no contraindications

Comparative review of popular fasting days

The table shows an exemplary menu for each of the fasting days described above ("full" option).

Type of reading day cucumber Apple Kefir Buckwheat Rice
8-00 Breakfast 2 cucumbers + 50 gr. boiled meat 2-3 apples + a glass of kefir 1-2 cups kefir 100 g steamed buckwheat + cucumber or tomato 200 g rice + a cup of green tea
11-00 Snack 2 cucumbers + green tea or juice 2-3 apples + 100 g porridge 200 g of any vegetables 100 g steamed buckwheat 200 g rice + 50 g fish or meat
14-00 Dinner 2 cucumbers + boiled egg or 100 g rice porridge 2 baked apples + fresh cucumber salad with a spoonful of breadcrumbs. oils 1-2 cups kefir + 50 g lean meat 100 g buckwheat + 50 g meat 200 g rice + 1 fresh carrot
17-00 Snack Cucumber and apple smoothie with lemon juice 2-3 apples + 1 banana 1 glass of kefir + banana 100 g buckwheat + apple or ½ grapefruit 200 g rice + glass of juice
20-00 Dinner 2 cucumbers + a glass of kefir 2-3 apples + 100 g cottage cheese 1-2 cups kefir 100 g steamed buckwheat 200 g of rice + 1 glass of kefir

Coffee on fasting days

Coffee lovers are probably interested in the question: is it possible to drink coffee these days, or even arrange "coffee readings". According to nutritionists, 1-2 cups of the drink will only benefit. In this case, the coffee cup should not be equal to the soup bowl. The recommended volume is 90-120 ml. Coffee must of course be natural without sugar or cream, but you can add sweetener or skimmed milk.

Coffee lovers did not want to limit themselves in any way and came up with their own version of the diet. The fasting menu for weight loss is extremely simple - 5-6 cups of coffee at regular intervals. You can also eat fresh fruit and vegetables. The amount of other liquid must be limited. Many reviews write that after such a day they lost up to 3 kg. The only shame is that this "weight loss" is misleading. Coffee is a diuretic. During the day, instead of the prescribed 2 liters, around one liter is drunk, and much more is excreted from the body. Just the weight of the water lost is basically what the scale shows. But the big problem is that an already burdensome situation for the body is worsened by a great strain on the heart and kidneys.

You can supplement a fasting day with a cup of natural coffee.

The conclusion follows from this is simple: it is undesirable and even dangerous to arrange coffee fasting days, but it will be useful to supplement the reading with 1-2 cups of natural coffee. The key is to drink plenty of fluids.

Useful tips

Tips gathered from numerous reviews, but equally suitable for any type of reading.

  • Hunger strike days will be much easier if you spend them on your favorite foods (but not on cookies and candy).
  • During fasting days, it is recommended to supplement the diet with decoctions of medicinal herbs. You can use ready-made herbal tea for weight loss. As a rule, they have a complex effect, they have a laxative, fat-burning, cleansing, appetite suppressant, diuretic and choleretic effect.
  • No need to try to do everything at once and combine diet with physical activity in one day. But breathing exercises will be the way to go.
  • If it is difficult to maintain five meals a day, the daily portion can be divided into several meals.
  • Completely avoid sugar, salt and spices.

Reading days for weight loss produce different results. In reviews, they often write that they lose up to 2 kg per day. Those who are attracted to this figure should understand that it is not 2 kg of body fat that is lost! Excess fluid with toxins and "food residues", half-digested food that collects on the walls of the intestine, leaves. It is impossible to lose weight by yourself by 1 kg per day. On the strictest water discharge, you can get rid of a maximum of 100-200 grams of fat.